Painting Culture with Heesco

Khosnaran Khurelbaatar (a.k.a Heesco) is an internationally renowned artist who’s best known for his larger-than-life murals. The Mongolia-born artist initially found his footing in the art world with his street art in Australia, but a willingness to experiment with different mediums and techniques has proven that the label of “street artist” simply doesn’t do him justice. “It shouldn’t matter what medium or tools I am using,” he says. “I want to be able to use anything at my disposal to create the images I want to create.”

Heesco’s dreams of becoming an artist were already abrew in his teenage years. But opportunities were limited for a young, aspiring creative in Mongolia. Discouraged, he set aside his artistic ambitions and moved to Australia to pursue a degree in business management, a pragmatic decision that was meant to placate his parents. But once in Australia, he had a change of heart, enrolling at the Sydney College of the Arts instead.

After completing his degree in 2005, he moved to Melbourne. And it was there where he discovered a thriving and welcoming street art scene. He followed in the footsteps of established local street artists, and like them, the city became his canvas. “I moved there without knowing anyone and with little idea of what to do with my life and career,” he recalls. “But in a short period of time, I met many amazing artists who took me under their wings and showed me the ropes. I haven’t looked back since.”

As Heesco developed his style, his colorful, expressive murals began garnering attention from the fine art world. As of today, he’s held numerous successful exhibitions across Australia and his murals can be found around the globe.

随着他的风格持续发展，他丰富多彩的作品开始引起艺术界的注意。迄今为止，他已经在全球举办过多次展览。

But his path to becoming a full-time artist wasn’t without hurdles. In Heesco’s early years as a working artist, he struggled to strike a balance between commissioned projects and personal works. Due to financial realities, he wasn’t able to invest all of his time solely on personal projects, but committing too much time on commercial works felt like a betrayal to his own artistic vision.

This outlook would change with time—rather than seeing commissioned work as compromises to his own creative vision, he saw them as opportunities to step out of his comfort zone. This was a eureka moment that encouraged him to take on subject matters he’d never painted before. “After seeing it as a challenge, I gave it my best shot,” he recalls of one particular project that he was initially reluctant to take on. “I learned how to paint buildings, trams, horses, and small portraits—all from just one job. In other words, I basically got paid to experiment and learn new skills.” With this new perspective, Heesco began to understand there were no constraints with what he could or couldn’t do in art. Even on personal works, he started challenging himself to take on subject matters that he previously considered to be too difficult or uncharacteristic of his personal style.

Heesco’s perspective of art continued to evolve after becoming a father: he started to see the value of art as a tool in educating the next generation. From an armor-clad Mongol warrior riding a skateboard to a smartphone-wielding girl in a Mongolian dress, his work started blending traditional Mongolian culture with contemporary pop culture, a way of reminding young Mongolians to not lose touch with their cultural roots. This neo-traditional style has now become one the most defining characteristic of his works.

Aside from just developing his own art, he’s also become a mentor to aspiring artists, teaching lessons that extend beyond just technical skills. He believes it’s far more important to encourage young creatives to stay perseverant and self-motivated, as these are what will ultimately contribute to their long-term success. “Art is the same as sports—you have to keep training to stay in shape,” he urges. “It doesn’t matter that you have a natural talent to run fast; if you don’t train and keep in shape, how can you stay good at it?”